Gerda

𝘐 𝘸𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘰𝘥𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘐 𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦... ❧ DnD-inspired OC ❧ Adventurer in the wilderness ❧ #FantasyRP, #DnDRP, #MVRP 21+ ❧ Timeline is for unfolding story; personal interactions are through DMs ❧ More info below

>[Perception roll: Nat 1] Such a loud bird. And the sign has more symbols on it that Gerda can't read. She leaves her payment next to its perch, takes one last look around, then Gerda takes her purchases and hawk down the ramp and off the ship.

>The night seems to be coming to an end. Judging by the light beginning to show in the sky, dawn is coming. There is a dip in temperature, perhaps it will snow today. The ship bird screams at Gerda and flaps its wings. There is a sign near it she didn't see before.

>She doesn't need anything fancy. The supplies she has picked up will be more than enough, and it may be important to keep a few coins for later. She returns to the top deck, and starts to count out the coins she needs to pay with. Maybe the merchant will show up at the sound.

>Gerda takes a moment to look over the signage. Everything here seems to be much more expensive than the goods on the top deck. She might be able to afford one small item in addition to what she has, or she could only get two expensive items.

>She's expecting to need her eyes to adjust from sunlight to darkness, but the hold is not as dark as expected. There are flameless lanterns burning brightly, strung together in a chain all along the walls. And there are more supplies here to examine.

>"Hello? Is there someone here, if I want to pay...?" She feels a little foolish calling out, even more so when the ship bird makes a sound like derisive laughter at her. She's all too eager to be away from the strange bird. The hawk tightens its grip as Gerda goes belowdecks.

>Judging from the drawings and her basket of goods, Gerda has about fifteen assorted coins left to spend. A breeze rustles the flag. From belowdecks is the smell of incense. The ship's bird is watching her. There's no-one else on the deck with her.

>Gerda starts collecting a basket's worth of useful gear for her travels. Though she can't read the signs posted in front of each pile, there are drawings of the different coins. If the pictures match the price, Gerda can afford to buy all these items.

>She starts to browse the wares on the top deck, doing her best to shield the hawk from the other bird. The ship bird gives loud cries of alarm whenever it sees the hawk, & the hawk seems smug about it. A lot of the goods are better than what Gerda has. She could resupply.

>The ship's deck is covered in baskets and crates, with lids half raised to show the contents: spices, travel goods, cloth, rope, preserved food. There is a set of stairs down into the hold. The ship's bird has many colors and a curved beak. Gerda's never seen a bird like it.

>There's no crowd to stop or slow her, not on this path, so the ranger makes her way directly to the ship. There's some bright-plumaged bird on the ship's rails that screeches as Gerda approaches. The hawk on Gerda's shoulder screams back. "Right in my ear?" Gerda winces.

>Gerda shoves the odd coins to the bottom of the bag. No sense splitting the coins up now, she's already lost enough. While the hawk preens itself, claws dug tight into her armor, Gerda makes her way down to the shore, following the rickety dock towards the flag-covered ship.

>Gerda decides to check the bag to make sure the designs match the flags. Even with the missing weight, there are still enough coins here to check. All but three of the coins match the shapes on display. The hawk swoops down from the sky and lands on her shoulder. Still here.

>The music is unfamiliar to her, instruments she doesn't know and singing in a language she doesn't speak. Interesting. One of the flags catches her eye. It has the same shapes on it as the strange coins she got from the temple. Can she spend them here?

>There are two paths that catch her eye. There's a low-in-the-water ship moored by one of the jetties, its sails replaced by flags. Gerda can also hear a strange warbling music coming from further down the beach, from a lumpy stone building surrounded by lanterns.

>There is a road, paved, that leads towards the town's gates, but there are nets and jetties and beached coracles along the shore with a pathway between them made by the locals. Gerda walks the middle ground until...

>There are two ships that have the same paint scheme, weaving back and forth on the water. Racing, maybe? Then a large one sails by, headed for deeper water. Gerda counts eight sails on this behemoth of a ship. No-one seems to see her on the shoreline, or pays her any mind.

>Her arm is sore, or numb, in alternating intensity. If this doesn't heal right, she might not be able to survive with her bow. She tries to focus on the ships instead of that dire thought. They're so strange, with bright orange sails that unfold like segmented fish fins.

>The sea is still such a novelty, something so wonderful, Gerda feels compelled to follow the coastline towards the distant township. Sunlight glitters on the water, and Gerda plucks up thr occasional shell or scrap from the debris on the sand.

>Gerda takes a moment to check the bag of coins. The note is missing, along with about ten, maybe fifteen of the odd shaped coins. Did she do that? She can't remember. Hopefully they weren't important. Maybe she can spend the rest at the dock town. Gerda starts to make her way.